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Private communal gardens provided for residents of the houses that surround it, which were built as part of the Gunter Estate development that took place from 1840s onwards. The northern area of the estate was developed from 1865 encouraged by the arrival of the railway. Bina Gardens West was built in 1883 and the garden was formally laid out with lawns, flowerbeds and trees. Lessees of housing abutting the gardens and those in nearby streets had access on payment of rent for its upkeep.
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Birchmere Park was created as part of the GLC's 'new town' of Thamesmead built over the former Erith marshes. The Masterplan dates from 1967, the only New Town development in Greater London, but was much altered in execution. Designed to accommodate 60,000 people, Thamesmead was to have its own amenities, industry and centre with substantial areas of parkland, lakes, and canals to provide a varied landscape. The first phase was built in 1967-72 but due to financial and other priorities in the 1970s and 1980s, it has not been completed although development continues. Birchmere Park's lake was part of the network of water bodies and canals formed when the marshes were drained.
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* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Bishop’s Park first opened as a public park in 1893. The site formed part of the lands of the adjacent moated Fulham Palace, residence of the Bishops of London from the early C8th until 1973. As Fulham was being built over, Bishop's Meadow was donated to the Fulham Vestry for a public recreation ground with the proviso that the riverside would be embanked to prevent flooding. The park was extended in 1900 and 1903, when a lake that had a sandy 'beach' was constructed. Recreational facilities included bowling greens and tennis courts and until 1959 the park had a bandstand, replaced by an open air theatre for a time until it burnt down in the early 1990s. In 2010/11 a major restoration project enabled reinstatement of some of the original design features, including the lake and 'Sands'.
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Blackfriars Bridge Garden was referred to as a public garden maintained by the Corporation of London by the 1920s. The current landscaping dates from the 1960s when Blackfriars Underpass was opened and adopted as public open space under the Blackfriars Bridgehead Act. This consists of publicly accessibly landscaped strip along the river by the pedestrian underpass, as well as areas of grass and flowerbeds at the bridgehead that are essentially traffic islands, a pleasant contrast from the busy road. Near the Underpass is a commemorative stone.
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Blackheath is common land, the name probably arising from the colour of the soil. It has been managed for public use since 1871 when it was taken over by the MBW, although it has long had public access courtesy of the lords of the manor, an important place for a multitude of events from fairs to actions of highwaymen, royal celebrations to rebellions, battles to religious gatherings. Associations with sporting activities include its early use for golf, cricket and football. Until the C18th and rise of speculative building Blackheath was largely undeveloped and consisted of a few cottages; a number of the ponds are probably the remains of gravel pits. During WWII parts of Blackheath were ploughed and other areas had Nissen huts for the army. The northern part of the heath is in LB Greenwich, the southern part in LB Lewisham.
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Blackheath is common land, the name probably arising from the colour of the soil. It has been managed for public use since 1871 when it was taken over by the MBW, although it has long had public access courtesy of the lords of the manor, an important place for a multitude of events from fairs to actions of highwaymen, royal celebrations to rebellions, battles to religious gatherings. Associations with sporting activities include its early use for golf, cricket and football. Until the C18th and rise of speculative building Blackheath was largely undeveloped and consisted of a few cottages; a number of the ponds are probably the remains of gravel pits. During WWII parts of Blackheath were ploughed and other areas had Nissen huts for the army. The northern part of the heath is in LB Greenwich, the southern part in LB Lewisham.
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Blake Recreation Ground opened to the public in August 1932, named after the village doctor. It was later renamed Blake Park. The site may have been part of land belonging to Oak Lodge in the C19th, and once part of the Monks Orchard estate now divided from High Broom Wood by Oak Lodge Primary School. The park is a rectangular open space of mown grass with a perimeter tarmac path and is almost completely surrounded by houses, which are largely screened from the site by shrubs and hedges. A children’s playground is situated to the south-east and a sports field to the north. There are a few semi-mature chestnuts, oaks and ornamental pines.
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* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Blenheim and Elgin Crescents Garden is part of the Ladbroke Estate, laid out as a planned garden suburb with a coherent layout of concentric crescents and large communal gardens whose features were first suggested in a plan by architect and estate surveyor Thomas Allason in 1823. His scheme was later modified by others, including James Thomson, although he remained involved until his death in 1852. Building started in the 1840s; the outer concentric crescents date from the 1860s. During the lull in building development, the land was leased for a time for a racecourse, the Hippodrome, which operated from 1837-41. After Allason's death, artist and designer Thomas Allom was responsible for the next phase of development.
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Blenheim Park is bounded to the north by the Longford River, which was constructed in the 1630s on the orders of Charles I in order to supply the ornamental waters at Hampton Court Palace, the water brought from the River Colne. It remains in the ownership of the Crown, managed by Royal Parks. Blenheim Park is largely open grassland with football pitches. Once fields, it remained open land when the area was gradually built up with housing.
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1928 Ealing Town Council decided to acquire 17.25 acres of land for public open space. Middlesex CC made a contribution of a quarter of the cost of the 9.25 acre recreation ground, conditional on this portion of the land being permanently dedicated to public use. It opened as Northfields Recreation Ground but in 1957 it was renamed Blondin Park after the French acrobat and tightrope walker, Charles Blondin, who had retired to this area. Blondin Nature Area was opened in 1997 and planted with a community orchard, wildflower meadow and pond.
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* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Bloomsbury Square was laid out in the early 1660s on land then owned by the Earl of Southampton, but from 1723 became part of the Bedford Estate. The central garden originally had a cruciform layout. From 1800 the 5th Duke of Bedford began developing his estate, demolishing Bedford House to the north of Bloomsbury Square. He commissioned Humphry Repton to redesign Bloomsbury Square in c1806 and by the 1820s there was a large lawn with oval line of trees in the centre, perimeter shrubbery and walk, and an oval shrubbery in each corner. The layout changed at various times throughout the C20th but refurbishment carried out in 2006/7 reflected elements of Repton’s layout, and restored views and links to Russell Square.
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Blythe Hill Fields is a large grassy mound, some 70 metres high from where there are fine views. The land was formerly part of Brockley Farm and also the site of a brickworks, which was saved from housing development partly due to the hilly nature of the site. Blythe Hill House was built to the south in 1842 and its grounds covered a large part of Blythe Hill; the house was demolished in 1895. The land was purchased by the LCC and opened as a public park in 1935. A chimney from the former brickworks remained until 1938.